Bible History of the Old Testament

No. 23

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Genesis  37  -  39

Joseph's Early Life  -  Sold Into Slavery By His Brothers 

In the House of Potiphar  -  Joseph in Prison

The personal history of the patriarchs ceases with Jacob, as his twelve sons were to become the family, or tribes of Israel.  The purpose of God with individuals had been fulfilled and now the history was to be of the whole of Israel and not just one person.  Hence, for the most part, the personal manifestations of God to individuals now ceased. 

The one different case was when God appeared to Jacob as he went into Egypt.  He gave him his assurance that going to Egypt was what He wanted, and when the time was right, He would bring his family back to the land of promise.  This temporary removal was very necessary so that they could be separated from the heathen people of the land they were living in.  If they had continued to stay, they would have continued in idolatry and God would not have gotten through to them.  Their move was also a preparation for the later history of Israel, when God would bring them out from their house of bondage by His own outstretched arms, and with signs and wonders. 

This grand event was to form the foundation and beginning of the house of Israel as a nation, so all the events that preceded it were necessary to get them ready to be their own great nation blessed by God and chosen by Him.  Also, the life of Joseph represents a type of Christ, in his betrayal, elevation to the highest dignity, and his preserving the life of his people, and in their ultimate recognition of him and repentance of their sin.

The scriptural history of Joseph opens when he is 17 years of age.  The Scriptures give many glimpses into his early life.  Since it was openly known that he was the favored child because of being Rachel's son, all the sons of Leah disliked him.  There was probably just some differences in their natural dispositions also, as well as the fact that he was the favored son.  Leah's sons seem to have been rough, wild, and lawless, without any concern for their father's wishes or goals for their lives.  Then when Jacob gave to Joseph the "coat of many colors",  the other sons saw that it was truly a huge mark of favoritism and old bitter feelings were aroused to the point that they were so jealous that they wanted to get rid of him. 

In truth, the "coat of many colors" was not a coat, but a tunic that was long and flowing and made of rich fabrics and had beautiful colors in it.  Princes and persons of distinction wore these kinds of tunics, and probably for Joseph's brothers it was the last straw.  This showed them only too clearly that their father intended to transfer to Joseph the right of the first-born.  It was true that the three oldest sons of Leah had knocked themselves out of the running because they had done bad things,  but it just ate them up inside for Jacob to give the first-born privileges to Joseph.  They must have felt unwanted and unloved because Jacob had never truly accepted their mother Leah, and had always only wanted Rachel for his wife. 

Whatever really happened, the Bible says that "his brethren hated him and could not get themselves to address him unto peace."  The usual Eastern salutation at the time was "Peace be unto thee", and it seems that the brothers hated him so much that they couldn't even speak to him. 

There wouldn't have been much that needed to happen to bring their state of feeling to some kind of riotous actions.  It must have been during this very time that Joseph dreamed two dreams that implied his future supremacy.  Scripture does not say that these dreams were sent to him as a direct communication from God, or that he was directed to tell them to his family.  In hind sight, we can recognize a distinct divine direction in them, but given the hatred that his brothers had for him at the time,  it's possible that he may have used the dreams to taunt them and that he may have had some pride in telling them about the dreams. 

In the first dream, Joseph and his brothers were in the harvest-field.  This may imply that Jacob, like his father Isaac, had tilled the ground.  Joseph's sheaf stood upright, while those of his brothers bowed down to him in homage.

In the second dream, they were all out tending the flock, when the sun and moon and the eleven stars bowed down to Joseph.  The first of these dreams was related only to his brothers, while the second was related both to his father and his brothers. 

He must have told the dreams to them in some particular manner that was offensive to them, because the Bible says that "they hated him yet the more for his dreams, but also for his words."  Even Jacob saw reason to reprove him for what he said, but at the same time he took to heart what Joseph had said. 

We know now that the dreams were prophetic, but at the time there were no means of judging whether they were prophetic, or if Joseph had just given them his own interpretations to taunt his brothers even more.  Only the future could reveal if they were true, but in the meantime it was needful for the sake of Joseph himself that he should be removed from his present circumstances to where that which was holy and divine in him would grow.  All of self had to be uprooted, and such results are only obtained by one kind of training  -  that of affliction.

The sons of Jacob were pasturing their flocks around Shechem, when Jacob sent Joseph to find out how they were doing.  It seems that Joseph was not aware of any danger on his part, so he willingly went out to do what his father had asked.  The brothers had already moved from there and gone to Dothan.  It was a beautiful place about 12 miles from Samaria.  There were rich pasture lands there and low rising hills that were wonderfully suited for grazing.  It was the gateway to the great plain of Esdraelon, and must have guarded the entrance to Palestine from the north.  On the crest of one of the hills, the extensive ruins of Dothan can still be found today.  The southern slope of the hill still provides a fine spring of living water.  It was from these very hills that Gideon later descended upon the host of Midian.

It was in this place that Joseph overtook his brothers and was cast into a dry well.  It was also from his hill that his brothers must have seen the Arab caravan slowly winding from Jordan on its way to Egypt, and where they sold their brother to the merchants to get rid of him.

It seems that as soon as they saw Joseph coming, that they must have started talking about a plan to get rid of him.  All the brothers agreed except Reuben.  He knew that it would hurt his father deeply if they killed Joseph, and secretly he planned to come back and get him later.  He proposed to cast Joseph into a dry well and just leave him there.  He probably thought he would come back to get him later when the brothers cooled off a bit.  The others agreed to the plan.

A Greek writer has left a graphic account of such wells and cisterns in this area.  He describes them as regularly built and plastered, narrow at the mouth, but widening as they descend, till at the bottom they attain a width sometimes of 100 feet.  When they were dry, they served as hiding places, or even temporary prisons.  It was into such a well as this that Joseph was cast, while his brothers sat down to their meal. 

It must have been truly the providence of God that before they left the place, they saw an Arab caravan coming into sight.  They were in route to Egypt to sell their wares.  As they saw the caravan approaching, Judah now hoped to save the life of his brother.  He proposed that they sell Joseph as a slave to the passing caravan.  Even though they were trying to save Joseph's life, neither of the two brothers had the courage to stand up to the others and resist the treacherous crime. 

A bargain was struck quickly, and Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels - the price in later times of a male slave from 5 to 20 years old, with the medium price of a slave being 30 shekels.  Reuben was not there when they decided to sell Joseph, and on his return "rent his clothes" with great mourning.  It didn't seem to bother the other brothers as much, though, and they dipped his tunic in the blood of a goat to give their father the impression that he had been killed by a wild animal.  That is what they told their father, and it seemed that their plan had succeeded and they were rid of Joseph.

Jacob mourned for his son bitterly for many days.  He refused all the comfort that the others so hypocritically tried to offer him.  Even through all this, though, he had a hope and faith that he would meet his beloved son in another world.  He said:  "I will go down into the grave unto my son, mourning."

There is only a small reference in Genesis 42: 21 - 22 as to what Joseph said to his brothers as he entreated them not to do this terrible thing to him.  "And they said to one another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear;  therefore is this distress come upon us.  And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear ?  therefore, behold, also his blood is required."

It must have been a traumatic thing for Joseph to not even know where he was going or what would happen to him.  He also didn't know if he would ever go home again or see his father.  He must have also been distressed about the pain his father would endure when he found out that he was missing. 

We see Joseph next in the slave market.  Here Potiphar, an Egyptian, a captain of the guard, and officer of Pharaoh,  bought him from the Arabs traders.  The name Potiphar frequently occurs on the monuments of Egypt.  It means "dedicated to Ra, or the sun". 

According to some of the writers of that time,  the country was not united under the rule of a single native line, but governed by several dynasties, of which the fifteenth dynasty of Shepherd-kings was the prominent one, with the rest being tributary to it.  At any rate, he was carried into the part of Egypt that was most connected to Palestine by trade reasons. 

Potiphar's office at the court of Pharaoh was that of "chief of the executioners".  As is rendered in the King James Version, he was captain of the king's body-guard.  In the house of Potiphar,  it went with Joseph as it was formerly in his own house, for it is not in the power of adverse or prosperous circumstances to altar our characters.  A person who is faithful in a little will be faithful in much.  Joseph was faithful, honest, upright, and conscientious here in Egypt also.  Also, the main thing was that "Jehovah was with him and made all that he did to prosper in his hand." 

It didn't take Potiphar long to notice that Joseph was different from the rest of the slaves he had bought.  From an ordinary slave, he promoted Joseph to be "overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand."  He wholeheartedly trust Joseph with everything that he had, and his confidence was not misplaced.

The sculptures and paintings of the ancient Egyptian tombs show in vivid detail what would have been Joseph's duties.  "The property of great men is shown to have been managed by scribes, who exercised a most methodical and minute supervision over all the operations of agriculture, gardening, the keeping of live stock, and fishing.  Every product was carefully registered, to check the dishonesty of the laborers, who in Egypt have always been famous in this respect.  Probably in no country was farming ever more systematic.  Joseph's previous knowledge of tending flocks, and perhaps of husbandry, and his truthful character, exactly fitted him for the post of overseer.  How long he filled it we are not told."

It is true that God will not withhold any good thing from those whose Sun and Shield He is; but then success may not always be a good thing for them.  Besides, God often tries the faith and patience of His people - and that is the meaning of many trials.  Often trials are needed for discipline and training.  In the case of Joseph, it was both a temptation and a trial by which he was prepared, outwardly and inwardly, for the position he was to occupy.

The beauty that Joseph had inherited from his mother exposed him to wicked suggestions on the part of his master's wife.  He stood alone in a heathen land and house.  He was surrounded only by what would blunt his moral sense, and render the temptation all the more powerful.  He also had a very imperfect knowledge of the law of God in its height and depth.  Also, what he had seen of his older brothers would have elevated his views.  Still, he firmly resisted evil because of a sense of integrity toward his master and because he didn't want to sin against God. 

Yet this sense of integrity only seemed to go against him.  There is good reason to believe that Potiphar could not have truly believed that what his wife had told him was true.  The punishment awarded in Egypt to the crime of which she had accused him was far more severe than what Joseph received.  Potiphar put him in the king's prison where he himself was the superintendent.  It was still a very bitter time for him at first, though, because of the words written in Psalm 105: 17, 18 -  "He sent before them a man:  Sold for a slave was Joseph, They afflicted with fetters his feet, The iron entered into his soul."

This was a huge contrast between his former prophetic dreams and his present condition.  But even so Joseph remained steadfast.  That is another huge contrast between sight and faith.  Then the text goes on to say that  "Jehovah was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison." 

Again, as they saw his integrity more and more, the charge of the prisoners was committed unto him,  and Jehovah made him prosper in everything he did.  The whole management of the prison ultimately passed into Joseph's hands.  Even in these bad circumstances, Jehovah proved Himself a faithful covenant-God.  A silver streak was lining the dark cloud.  BUT still PATIENCE HAD TO MAKE HER PERFECT WORK.

We will delve further into Joseph's life in prison in the next text.  For more information from this book, go to the archives page at my site   www.cathydeaton.com  There are also other articles of interest there. 

This text is taken from the book Bible History Old Testament written by Alfred Eldersheim.  Permission has been given to use this book.